Institute Solar Fuels
Currently available Student Projects
We can offer a variety of projects in our institute to students from universities in Berlin and beyond.
Should you be interested in pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s thesis with us, please choose one of our BSc/MSC projects (listed below), and send your application with your CV and a list of the courses that you have followed, directly to the responsible project leader.
Insights into PEC device scaling limitations at near-neutral pH: In-situ measurement of voltage losses caused by electrolyte pH gradients
Target group:
- MSc thesis (6-12 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Students of chemical engineering, chemistry or a related field. Strong understanding of electrochemistry and mass transport in liquids. Prior experience in Multiphysics simulations or hands-on experience in (photo-) electrochemistry is a plus.
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
Photo-electrochemical (PEC) reactors are a promising prospect for green hydrogen production or conversion of hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals directly from sunlight. The key to the success of PEC is maximizing device efficiency and enhancing the photoelectrode stability, which are difficult to achieve both at the same time. Near-neutral electrolytes offer a less harsh environment with significantly enhanced device stability. However, during water splitting they show severe overpotentials due to mass transport limitations caused by their low proton concentration. While buffered electrolytes under a steady flow can improve the supply of protons between the electrodes, there may be a limitation of the buffer at larger electrode lengths.
In this project you will explore a novel method to directly measure the increasing overpotential, supported by multi-physics simulations.
You will:
- Perform Comsol Multiphysics simulations to predict voltage losses under different operationparameters.
- Help to set up a novel technique to directly measure pH-gradient overpotentials over 10 cm long electrodes.
- Replicate the simulations experimentally and correlate the results.
- Conclude operation restrictions for PEC modules.
Optimizing the fluid dynamics in photoelectrochemical reactors
Target group:
- BSc thesis (6 months)
- MSc thesis (6-12 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Students of chemical engineering, chemistry or a related field. Strong understanding of electrochemistry and mass transport in liquids. Prior experience in Multiphysics simulations or hands-on experience in (photo-) electrochemistry is a plus.
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
Photo-electrochemical reactors are a promising prospect for green hydrogen production or conversion of hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals directly from sunlight. As a conjunction of solar cell, and electrolyzer, their complexity is rooted in the requirement to efficiently balance the transport of light and charge in the photoabsorber, while maintaining efficient mass transport for the electrochemistry. While past research of small-scale devices mostly focused on the light and charge transport in the heart of the device, the photoelectrode, the hydrodynamic optimization for the transport of reactants and products in the liquid electrolyte have been often overlooked and remain a key engineering limitation for large scale reactors. Efficient device inlet diffusors and reactor outlet shapes are required to ensure uniform flow distribution over the photoelectrode, steady product removal without dead zones, while minimizing the size of flow guides and their pressure loss in the overall device plant.
The project aims to find optimized inlet and outlet designs for a 10 x 10 cm2 reactor module for water splitting and/or glycerol oxidation. The project will be divided into two parts, with emphasis on the students’ interest:
- CAD design and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations in Comsol Multiphysics to predetermine promising inlet diffusor types and outlet geometries.
- 3D printing a prototype and confirming simulations using particle image velocimetry, dye-tests, and/or bubble shadowgraphy under (photo-)electrochemical operation.
Investigation of pulsed electrolysis and flow-engineering for enhanced selectivity in photoelectrochemical (PEC) glycerol oxidation
Target group:
- BSc thesis (6 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
This project aims to investigate the influence of dynamic operating conditions on product selectivity
in the photoelectrochemical glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR). Pulsed electrolysis has recently emerged as a promising strategy to modulate reaction pathways and improve selectivity in organic electrosynthesis, offering temporal control over interfacial reaction environments.1,2
The primary objective is to determine whether the distribution of oxidation products is governed
by external operating parameters, specifically variations in flow regime, applied potential, and light irradiation profiles.
The experimental work will involve the preparation of molybdenum-doped bismuth vanadate (Mo-BiVO₄) photoanodes via a well-established electrodeposition method. These photoanodes will be characterised in both conventional static PEC cells and flow-cell configurations to assess the role of mass transport.
Dynamic operation will be implemented through controlled voltage and light pulsing using a range
of waveform profiles (e.g. square, sinusoidal). The resulting photoelectrochemical performance and product distribution under glycerol oxidation conditions will be systematically evaluated. Quantitative analysis of reaction products will be conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
The findings are expected to contribute to the rational design of selective and energy-efficient processes for biomass valorisation, in alignment with the objectives of the PH2OTOGEN project.
- Atkins, A. P. & Lennox, A. J. J. Application of pulsed electrolysis in organic electrosynthesis. Curr. Opin. Electrochem. 44, 101441 (2024)
- Chen, W. et al. Pulse potential mediated selectivity for the electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid. Nat. Commun. 15, 1–11 (2024)
Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) of tungsten-doped BiVO₄ (W-BVO) thin films and decoration with a co-catalyst for photoelectrochemical (PEC) selective glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR)
Target group:
- MSc thesis (6-12 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
This project aims to develop efficient and selective photoanodes for the PEC GOR through controlled fabrication of W-BVO thin films and their functionalization with β-Bi₂O₃ co-catalysts.
The first part of the study focuses on optimizing the SILAR process1 for the reproducible deposition
of homogeneous W-BVO films on conductive substrates, including FTO and porous Ti felt. In addition,
the introduction of a WO₃ underlayer will be investigated to enhance charge separation and improve PEC performance.
The second part addresses the development of a selective co-catalyst via electrodeposition of β-Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles. Emphasis will be placed on controlling nanoparticle morphology and surface coverage
to maximize selectivity towards value-added products. Enhancing selectivity remains a central challenge in GOR, with previous studies indicating that β-Bi₂O₃-modified systems can achieve up to ~75% selectivity towards dihydroxyacetone (DHA).2
The photoelectrochemical performance and product distribution will be evaluated under glycerol oxidation conditions, with quantitative analysis performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Overall, this work seeks to establish a robust synthesis strategy for W-BVO photoanodes with improved activity and selectivity, contributing to the development of sustainable routes for biomass valorization within the framework of the PH2OTOGEN project.
- Zafeiropoulos, G. et al. Rational Design of Photoelectrodes for the Fully Integrated Polymer Electrode Membrane-Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting System: A Case Study of Bismuth Vanadate. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 4, 9600–9610 (2021).
- Luo, L. et al. Selective Photoelectrocatalytic Glycerol Oxidation to Dihydroxyacetone via Enhanced Middle Hydroxyl Adsorption over a Bi2O3-Incorporated Catalyst. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 7720–7730 (2022).
Development of an optimized HPLC Method for product analysis in the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell
Target group:
- BSc thesis (6 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
The glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) has been extensively investigated as a promising anodic alternative to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems. Compared to OER, GOR operates at lower potentials and enables the generation of value-added chemicals, thereby improving both the energy efficiency and economic feasibility of electrochemical processes. A variety of oxidation products can be obtained from glycerol, including dihydroxyacetone (DHA), glyceraldehyde (GLAD), glyceric acid (GLAC), glycolic acid (GAC), tartronic acid (TA), formic acid (FA), and oxalic acid (OXAC). These compounds differ significantly in their chemical properties and market value. Consequently, accurate identification and quantification of the product distribution are essential for evaluating the reaction performance.
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a suitable analytical technique for this purpose. However, due to the structural similarity and polarity of the products, efficient peak separation and reliable detection remain challenging. Therefore, a systematic optimization of HPLC parameters is required to establish a robust analytical method.
The primary objective of this thesis is to develop and optimize an HPLC-based analytical method for the separation, identification, and quantification of GOR products. Specific goals include:
- Systematic investigation of HPLC operating parameters, including:
- Column temperature
- Eluent composition and flow rate
- Detector type and settings
- Development of an efficient and reproducible method for peak separation and compound identification.
- Application of the developed method to analyze product distributions from GOR experiments in a PEC cell.
Investigation of lignin oxidation reaction in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell employing BiVO4
Target group:
- MSc thesis (6-12 months)
Language:
English
Prerequisite:
Location:
HZB Lise-Meitner-Campus
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Project description:
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in replacing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells with alternative reactions to improve efficiency and economic viability. In this context, biomass valorization is particularly attractive, as it enables operation at lower potentials while simultaneously generating value-added chemicals. Among the investigated substrates, glycerol has received considerable attention; however, its global annual production is limited to approximately 7 million tons. In contrast, lignin, an abundant byproduct of the pulp and paper industry with an annual production exceeding 70 million tons, represents a more scalable feedstock and its oxidation can yield high-value compounds such as vanillic acid, which are relevant for various industrial applications.
Therefore, the primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the photoelectrochemical oxidation of lignin in a membrane-based PEC cell. Specific goals include evaluating photoelectrochemical performance, identifying key reaction parameters that influence activity, and optimizing reaction conditions. The following activities will be a part of this Master thesis:
- Preparation and characterization of the doped and undoped BiVO4 photoanodes
- Investigation of the optimal electrolyte composition (solvent; conductive salt; pH; concentration;..) for the lignin oxidation in a PEC cell on prepared BiVO4 photoanode
- Assessment of photoanode stability and degradation under operating conditions